Today, more and more people are purchasing smartphones with facilities like multi-touch, camera, audio, and internet access. Nowadays, most applications use audio facilities for speech and voice recognition, whereas users utilize these facilities for voice searches.
Moreover, speech and voice recognition allows easy deployment of applications that use NUI technologies like spatial gestures and multi-touch. In non-technical terms, this means that speech recognition functionalities are specifically designed to duplicate the human voice and accurately respond to it.
Another advantage of speech recognition is that it allows hands-free use of computers and allows developers to utilize computing capabilities while they are away from their desktops or devices. Interested in utilizing these functionalities and reap the benefits of voice recognition? Check out the following article to learn how you can successfully implement the voice recognition functionality in Android devices and enjoy quality applications.
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Steps to Implement the Voice Recognition Functionality in Android Devices
Before you directly jump into the development of your voice recognition module, it is important that you check whether your device supports the feature or not. To check for the presence of the voice recognition functionality, follow these steps:-
Implement the Voice Recognition Functionality in Android Devices without Much Hassle
After checking whether the voice recognition module is supported on your device, you must follow the steps mentioned below to successfully implement the functionalities. In Android API, Speech-to-text is implemented by the package Android.Speech, specifically the class called Android.Speech.RecognizerIntent present in it.
So, to implement the voice recognition functionality in Android devices, developers must use RecognizerIntent and create an intent of the type. Then, they can pass extra parameters and start the activity to quickly get the result. In simple terms, this code starts the recognizer prompt that is customized by the extra parameters input by developers. Under the hood, voice recognition communicates with the server and offers developers results. Hence, internet access is required to ensure that this application functions perfectly and this feature can be utilized.
To help you better understand what is happening behind the scenes, we have briefly described the functions that are being utilized:-
- Calling the RecognizerIntent – The application calls RecognizerIntent which allows the application to record voice
- ACTION_RECOGNIZE_SPEECH – Helps start the activity that prompts the user for speech and sends the voice input through a speech recognizer
- EXTRA_LANGUAGE_MODEL – This is used to communicate to the recognizer about the speech model that should be used when performing ACTION_RECOGNIZE_SPEECH (in the above example, it is adapted to input messages in US English)
Note that a limited number of languages and locales are supported by the different speech services available. This is why we recommend checking for specific language support before you implement the voice recognition functionality in Android devices. Several businesses hire Android app developers to save time and ensure that the burden is transferred to professionals.
Another important thing to keep in mind is that API Level 16 utilized in Android Jelly Bean performs voice recognition even without an internet connection. Its recognizer processes the voice and once it is complete, it returns value in on ActivityResult() method parameters.
Permissions Required in the Manifest File
Since the voice recognizer needs to send the query to the server to receive the result, we must ensure that our application has INTERNET permission. Write and execute the following line of code to provide your app with internet permission and ensure that it successfully implements voice recognition:-
Implement the Voice Recognition Functionality in Android Devices in Voice SMS Applications
Speech-to-text systems help provide data entry options for blind, deaf, and other physically challenged people which ultimately help improve system accessibility. Generally, Voice SMS in applications developed in this field allows users to record and convert voice messages into SMS text messages. In layman’s terms, users can easily send messages to entered phone numbers as and when required.
If you have been in the technical domain, you might have heard about the Google Now Project, where users give voice commands and Android fetches results. It will recognize your voice and convert it into text or ultimately take the appropriate action. This is because Google has accumulated a huge database of over 230 billion words that are derived from daily entries in search engines and the digitization of over 10 million books available in the Google Book Search project. In case you are using these types of speech recognizers, your voice is stored on Google’s servers. This helps ensure that continuous data is available for training and helps improve system accuracy.
Deploy the Application using Voice Recognition Functionalities and Run it
After you implement the voice recognition functionality in Android devices, run the application on devices using Android 2.1 or higher versions. This is because the Android emulator does not support speech recognition, which would be an inconvenience during the debugging, testing, and deployment process. Another tip is to ensure that the device you are using has good Internet connectivity to allow seamless and easier application testing.
Offline Voice Recognition Functionalities in Jellybean
Traditionally, Android devices had to digitize the user’s voice when they were speaking a command or a query to upload it to the cloud. Then, the waveform was processed to turn the speech into text, which was then sent back to the phone. This process although seemed quick, put a huge strain on the available device resources.
Today’s Android phones are capable of performing these functionalities without any extra I/O. This means that voice recognition functionalities in recent Android phones are quicker than the previous versions.
The Future of Voice Recognition Functionality in Android Devices
With an increased focus on local searches and personalized services, several businesses aim to develop models and databases that cater to multiple languages. After all, the goal is to ensure that technology is accessible to all and aids people in their daily lives. The same concept applies to voice recognition functionalities in Android devices. Today, more and more developers are looking to implement the voice recognition functionality in Android devices. We hope the article provided a great starting point and really makes you consider its benefits. If you are looking for professionals who can successfully implement the voice recognition functionality in Android devices and cater to local languages, we recommend partnering with a professional Android development company.
